Flashes Before Your Eyes
"Flashes Before Your Eyes" is the eighth episode in Season 3 and the fifty-seventh produced hour of the series as a whole. It was originally broadcast on February 14, 2007. A suspicious and determined Charlie enlists Hurley to help him wrestle the truth out of Desmond, who has been acting strangely ever since the implosion of the Swan station. The flashback in this episode is unusual compared to others within the series. Desmond flashes back to his part in the hatch's implosion when he traveled back to the past. This "time slip" appears as a single narrative that almost stretches the entire episode. Other episodes that presented flashbacks in this way include , , and . Synopsis Previously on Lost *Locke sees Desmond running naked in the jungle. *Hurley finds Desmond in the jungle and he predicts Locke's speech. *Locke gives a speech and Hurley looks at Desmond, surprised. *Desmond builds a lightning rod to save Charlie's life - which actually should've died while trying to rescue Claire from drowning. Flashback The countdown timer reaches zero and goes into system failure mode. Desmond tears apart the bookcase and finds the fail-safe key. He goes under the floor, says "I love you Penny", and turns the key. His world turns to white and his life flashes before his eyes. Mind travel to 1996 He wakes up lying on a wood floor with what looks like blood all over him. He looks around, and sees a spilled can of red paint and a fallen ladder. Penny runs over to him and asks if he's okay. He realizes that they are in his old flat in the past. Delighted to be back with Penny, he kisses and embraces her. Desmond later tries to fix his tie and glances at the clock, which reads 1:08. Penny helps him with his tie as he tells her how glad he is that she just moved in. They discuss Desmond's impending meeting with her father, and Penny says that if it doesn't go well it won't be "the end of the world." He experiences a niggling concern about Penny's turn of phrase and the sound of a countdown timer beeping worries him too - but it turns out to just be the microwave. Penny asks if he's alright and he says he just has déjà vu. Desmond checks in with the Widmore Industries receptionist. A delivery man arrives with a 'parcel for 815". The mention of "4-8-15" brings up a flash of the numbers in Desmond's mind and momentarily unsettles him again. In his office, Mr. Widmore discusses Desmond's resume with him. When Desmond compliments Mr. Widmore's ship model, and Widmore says that he is sponsoring a race around the world, Desmond has another flash of him on his own future boat. Widmore offers Desmond a position in the administrative department, but Desmond tells him he isn't there for a job. Instead, he wants to ask his permission to marry Penny. Widmore calls it a noble gesture and takes out a bottle of MacCutcheon whiskey and two glasses. However, he only pours whiskey into one glass, saying that one swallow costs more than Desmond would make in a month, and sharing it with him would be a waste because he will never be a great man and as such will never be worthy to marry his daughter. Desmond leaves the building and` throws his tie on the ground in frustration. ♪ On the sidewalk, Desmond sees a busker playing guitar and singing "Wonderwall" to the passer-byes for change. Desmond claims to recognize him, and has flashes of Charlie during the hatch system failure. Desmond freaks out, remembering the his present experience as having happened before. He remembers that it started to rain. At that moment it begins to pour. ♪ Desmond goes to a research library and finds his friend Donovan, a physicist, to ask him about the concept of time travel. At a pub, Desmond questions if it's possible that he's reliving part of his life, but Donovan suggests his mind is just reacting to his failure with Widmore by giving himself a role of importance on an imaginary island. Donovan says that if he is reliving his life, he should be able to predict what happens next. Desmond says he can't remember everything, but then the song "Make Your Own Kind of Music" comes on the jukebox, and he gets another flash. Looking up at the soccer game on the pub's television, he says that Graybridge comes back from two goals down in the final two minutes of the game to win and then Jimmy Lennon will come in and hit the bartender with a cricket bat. They watch the game, but the Graybridge doesn't score and jimmy doesn't arrive. Desmond, disappointed, accepts Donovan's advice to get on with his life and marry Penny. Desmond comes home and tells Penny he didn't get the job. To console him, she suggests they go out and celebrate the occasion. He solemnly asks why she loves him, and she replies that it's because he's a 'good man,' and in her experience, good men are hard to come by. They kiss. The next day Desmond looks at diamond rings in an antique shop. Ms. Hawking, the shop keeper, helps when he explains he is not a man of means. She suggests a beautiful simple ring in his price range. He says he'll take the ring. He is taken aback when she says "no, you won't" and tells the astonished Desmond that he isn't supposed to take the ring, because he doesn't buy the ring so that he can go in the yacht race and as fate requires, end up on the island for three years pressing the button and eventually turning the fail-safe key. She also states that "if you don't do those things, Desmond David Hume, every single one of us is dead." Eloise Hawking decides that Desmond needs persuasion and brings him outside and buys chestnuts from a street vendor and points out a man wearing red shoes. Desmond theorizes that she is really his subconscious, but she only smiles. Desmond says he is determined to marry Penny, but Ms. Hawking says he won't marry Penny. Suddenly, scaffolding falls on the man wearing red shoes, and Desmond accuses Ms. Hawking of knowing what would happen, asking why she didn't try to stop it. She says it was the man's fate to die and that no one can change their fate; if she'd warned him, he would have died anyway from something else. If someone tries to forestall fate, the universe will "course correct" and find another way to lead back to the prescribed path. Desmond, refuses to concede that he is a slave to the universe, and takes the ring anyway. Desmond goes to meet Penny, but is unsettled by a Royal Scots recruitment poster which promises to make you the man you can be proud of. He meets Penny near Westminster bridge and is propositioned by a photographer. Penny convinces him to have their photo taken together. They change the pull down background scenes until they find one Penny likes, and he takes off his coat. (The photo is the same one that Desmond has on the island.) Desmond stares at the photo and comes to a realization about his fate. He tells Penny that he isn't the man he needs to be and that they aren't supposed to be together. She leaves in tears, calling him a coward, and Desmond throws the ring into the River Thames. ♪ Desmond is back at the pub and spots the MacCutcheon Scotch whiskey, but goes for the cheap stuff instead. He tells the bartender he thinks he's made the biggest mistake of his life, and that he thinks he's made it before. "Make Your Own Kind of Music" starts playing on the jukebox again and Desmond sees another football telecast, but this time the team makes the goal. Excited that his vision of the future was correct and that he had remembered the wrong night, he decides that he might have a chance to change his fate after all. Cricket bat-brandishing Jimmy Lennon then storms into the bar to accost the bartender and swings the bat at the bartender and Desmond yells for him to duck which he does just in time, but the bat hits Desmond instead. Return to 2004 Desmond's world fades to white. He wakes up naked in the jungle with injuries all over. He is on the Island, just after the hatch implosion, but also still hurting from where he was just hit with the bat. He runs to where the hatch was and is dismayed to see the hole in the ground. Among the debris he finds his photo. He cries and pleads to be given another chance to change the past. ♪ On the Island Desmond finds Hurley and Charlie ransacking Sawyer's stash and brings them to the jungle to meet Sayid and Locke. Locke tells Hurley and Charlie that Eko is dead, and that they need to act unafraid to keep panic at the camp at a minimum. During the conversation, Desmond begins to act increasingly nervous and suddenly runs away from the group toward the beach. Desmond throws off his shirt and dives into the ocean where Claire is drowning. Desmond saves Claire, resuscitating her on the beach, while Charlie stands on the side, trying to help and see if Claire is okay. After, Charlie wants to know how Desmond knew Claire was drowning, and hatches a plan with Hurley to get him drunk so they can get him to talk. That night Hurley and Charlie invite Desmond to have a drink, Desmond refuses until he sees they are offering MacCutcheon Scotch whiskey. They all get drunk and Charlie then makes his move, asking him how he knew about Claire, but Desmond evades the question and walks away. Charlie calls after him, saying that he is a coward. Desmond to return the insult by slamming Charlie to the ground and trying to strangle him. As Charlie chokes for air, Desmond screams "you don't wanna know what happened to me," recalling what happened after he turned the key. Hurley pulls Desmond off of Charlie. Desmond begins to sob, and Charlie takes pity on him and escorts him back to his tent. They apologize to each other and Desmond tells Charlie he is a good man. He says that when he turned the key, his life flashed before his eyes, but when he woke up back in the jungle, the flashes didn't stop. Charlie asks if Desmond saved Claire after seeing a flash of her drowning, and Desmond chillingly says that Charlie is actually the one that he saved. It was Charlie who he had seen being electrocuted by the lightning bolt, and it was Charlie who drowned trying to rescue Claire. He says that although he has saved Charlie twice already, the universe will inevitably "course correct." No matter what he tries to do, Charlie is going to die. Trivia * On the advertisement hoardings of the football (soccer) match Desmond was watching there were ads for Apollo Candy, the Hanso Foundation, Oceanic Airlines, Mr. Cluck's Chicken Shack, Gannon Car Rentals, Butties Diapers, Radio RPR 103.5, KRONOS (a real life company selling Titandioxid), and Exposé. image at lost.cubit.net * There are a large number of uses of and references to the color red (paint, shoes, scotch, shirt, tie, etc). * Charlie's middle name is Hieronymus. This name is a variation of the name Geronimo (as in Geronimo Jackson) or Jerome. Its origin is Ancient Greek, where it means "sacred name." * When Desmond goes to meet his friend Donovan in the University, the story atrium is yet another occurrence of the octagonal shape. * One of Thomas' paintings can be seen in Charles Widmore's office in 1995/1996. In 2004, the same painting is back in Claire and Thomas' apartment in . ** On the April 20, 2007 podcast, show-runners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse clarified and implied that there's no character connection. They explained Jack Bender, the producing director in Hawaii, likes to add his own paintings to the show. * Eloise Hawking wore a pin showing the Ouroboros, an ancient symbol of the snake eating its own tail and a symbol known in alchemy. * In the Beatles song Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, a lyric refers to Desmond going to a marketplace and buying a ring for his one love, with whom he later has children. *When Desmond is seen having fallen and tipped over his can of red paint, the brandname "Future" is just visible on the label. * This episode is rated TV-14. Production notes * Yunjin Kim (Sun) appears after being missing for four episodes. ** No character nor actor who appeared in the previous episode appears in this episode. This is the first of only two times in the show's history. The second one happened in the next episode. * This is the second of five episodes in which both Matthew Fox (Jack) and Evangeline Lilly (Kate) do not appear, the others being , , and . * This episode marks future main cast member Fionnula Flanagan's first appearance as Eloise Hawking. * A podcast rehash for the episode was released on February 20th, 2007. * According to the producers, Desmond really did travel back in time, and the events he relived occurred in 1996. * The producers clarified that by "every one of us will die," Eloise Hawking meant everyone in the world. * In an Entertainment Weekly Article, Damon Lindelof is quoted saying that this episode uses a flashback device employed "in a way we have never seen before and never will again", although the flashes during are closely similar. * The flashback in this episode is the second longest-running flashback in the series (with being longer only by seconds). * A Lost: On Location for this episode is available on the Season 3 DVD. Bloopers and continuity errors * Just after Desmond resuscitates Claire, when Charlie is asking how he knew she was drowning, there is an editing mistake with Hurley's position behind Charlie. Hurley starts to walk up to Charlie, then he is back where he started and then it cuts to him standing behind Charlie again. * In front of the Widmore Industries building before Desmond throws his tie, an old man in a blue suit walks towards Desmond. After the camera angle changes, a young man with a different suit appears where the old man should be. When the camera angle changes again, the same old man is in the background. * When Desmond meets with Widmore in his office, Desmond glances at the DHARMA painting on his right. In all other scenes, the painting and the desk lamp are on his left. The word "Namaste" at the top of the painting is spelled backwards in the first shot, but correctly in subsequent shots (on the left side), indicating that this was a reversed shot. ** In the scene where Desmond meets Charlie, exactly when the camera shows the sign "Donation," the location changes. There are two locations, the first begins when Desmond is going out the building and finishes at the moment he listens the sound of guitar; the second begins when it shows the sign "Donation." The main differences are: ***The green newsagents shop: previously is closed after is open. ***The text on the green newsagents shop: the text and the font are different. ***The position of the green shop: the position in respect to the sidewalk is different. ***The weather: in the first, it's quite cloudy and there are no shadows; in the second it's sunny. The shadows are clearly visible. ***The lamppost: after has 2 banners on both sides ***The Widmore building: seems different after. Behind Desmond and the other people, there is a grey wall with horizontal lines. * A large number of inaccuracies are present in the "London" scenes - e.g. the US style taxi beacon, a small dome and other unidentified building on the South bank, a totally US-style British pub, style food carts that are part of the idealized tourism image of London, etc. ** This is a production issue as LOST is filmed entirely in Hawaii. * The Royal Scots recruitment poster spelling uses the American English spelling "honor" instead of the British English "honour" that would be used in the UK. The soldier pictured is carrying a US rifle (not a British SA80A2) and is wearing a US style helmet. As well as this, the soldier is wearing a Scottish flag on his shoulder when, as a part of the British Army, he would be wearing a Union Jack. These are mistakes by the (American) props department, acknowledged by the producers on the February 20th, 2007 official Lost podcast. * In the scene with Charlie, the taxi directly behind him clearly has a 2001 registration number 'AE01***', which in England does not even exist. Early 2001 registration plates used the old numbering system, denoted by a 'Y' at the beginning. From September 2001, registration plates have the number '51', it was only in 2002 when they introduced the number with a zero in front '02', therefore this is a fake number plate. A red "New" Mini drives past in the background and a "bendy" bus is seen which was not introduced until June 2002. * The ambulance siren is not an English version. * There is an ad for Exposé at the game in 1996, but the show's fourth season was filmed in 2004, making it unlikely that Exposé would be around then. **However, it is possible that the 2004 series was a reboot of a previous series, although a distance of only 4 years at most, seems unlikely. * Desmond's photograph is different to the one used before and since. Here he is wearing a different shirt, orange in color compared to the bright red on the original. The original covered his neck while here it is bare. The background of the marina is different, as is Penny's position and her facial expression. *When Charlie is describing the events of the lightning strike, he says "Just by chance, you pitch your little rod outside Claire's tent, and two hours later, lightning strikes." However, in the original circumstances, Desmond pitched the rod only minutes before the rain and subsequent lightning strike. Music The Season 3 soundtrack includes the cue "Distraught Desmond" from this episode, the first full statement of Desmond's theme. Analysis Recurring themes * The episode is titled Flashes Before Your Eyes. * Desmond's "flashback" starts with a close-up of his left eye. * Desmond cries over the picture and says he's sorry and would like to change it. * Right after Desmond and Hawking see the man in the red shoes, he is killed when the scaffolding collapses. * Penny tells Desmond something about her father being "too daft to understand," implying her relationship with him is far from ideal. * Desmond talks to Charlie in his flashback. * It rains after Desmond talks to Charlie. * Penny tells Desmond she loves him because he is a "good person." Desmond calls Charlie a "good man." * Desmond sees a clock that says 1:08. Also, in Widmore's lobby, the delivery man states his delivery is "for 815" which to Desmond sounds like "4 8 15". The PLAYPEN issue in Sawyer's stash contained a '15th Annual Girls of Fiji Pictorial'. Lastly, the photo stand where Desmond and Penny have their pictures taken has a number 15 on the side of it. * Desmond catches Charlie singing the line "Because maybe, you're gonna be the one who saves me". Desmond in fact, will try to save Charlie's life. * Desmond meets Ms. Hawking in the antique store where he attempts to buy Penny's ring. He is warned that he must not propose or else he will cause the end of the world. * One of the soccer field ads is for KRONOS, which is a phonetic match for "Khronos", the Greek word for time. ** Kronos is a company that makes Time Clocks. http://www.kronos.com/. * The company that made the red paint that Desmond was using to paint the walls of his flat with was called "FUTURE" paint. * Ms. Hawking specifically mentions that Desmond will spend 3 years on the island until he has to turn the fail-safe key. * Ms. Hawking's room is filled with clocks of various types. * Desmond saves Charlie's life twice, but is convinced Charlie is fated to die. * Desmond buys the ring against Ms. Hawking's instruction, takes Jimmy Lennon's hit originally intended for the bartender, and apparently prevents Charlie's death twice. * Ms. Hawking tells Desmond things in the universe happen not by human choice, but because they are naturally supposed to. Cultural references * 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: The Admiral MacCutcheon that Charles Widmore mentions to Desmond was a character from a remake film of the classic, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (by Jules Verne). Adewale Akkinuoye-Agbaje played a character named Cabe Attucks in a remake of the film. * Spanish Cup: The soccer match shown is actually footage of the Spanish Cup final 1989 between F.C. Barcelona and Real Madrid. The goal-scorer is the famous Danish player, Michael Laudrup. * Stephen Hawking: Ms. Hawking shares her last name with physicist Stephen Hawking, who writes books dealing with the nature of space and time - crucial issues in the episode. ** In the preceding episode, , Aldo was reading Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time. * "Building a Mystery": Sarah McLachlan's "Building a Mystery" was played in the background while Desmond was getting ready for his job interview. * "Make Your Own Kind of Music": The song played on the jukebox in the bar is Cass Elliot's "Make Your Own Kind of Music" which was also heard in , and . * Laughter in the Dark: The book that is found in Sawyer's stash is Laughter in the Dark by Vladimir Nabokov. * Playboy and Penthouse: The title of Sawyer's fictional pornography magazines is PLAYPEN, a contraction of Playboy and Penthouse. This fictional adult magazine title has also appeared on Scrubs (3x09, "My Dirty Secret"), Married... with Children, Family Guy, That 70's Show, and Kyle XY.. * "Wonderwall": Charlie performs Oasis's "Wonderwall" when Desmond encounters him on the street. As Desmond approaches Charlie on the street, Charlie sings the lyrics "Maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me..." -- a reference to the fact that it is Charlie (not Claire) that Desmond is trying to save. Charlie's band, Drive Shaft, appears loosely modeled on Oasis. The song was released in 1995, one year before the date of the flashback, according to the 02/20/07 Podcast. * Namaste, Polar bear, and Buddha: Charles Widmore's office has several paintings (see main article: Painting (Widmore)) which includes: "Namaste", a polar bear, and an upside-down Buddha. * The Wizard of Oz - When the man wearing red shoes gets killed, his legs are poking out of the wreckage, reminiscent of the ruby slippers and the crushed Wicked Witch of the East. Literary techniques * Desmond had a lucid flashback in which he interacted with Ms. Hawking. Coming in at over 25 minutes, Desmond's flashback was the longest of any character until . * Desmonds listens to Charlie singing the line "Because maybe, you're gonna be the one who saves me" from Wonderwall. Desmond later confesses to Charlie that he has been saving his life repeatedly. * Charlie insinuates Desmond is using drugs by saying " This why we don't do drugs.", during their meeting at the Widmore building. Charlie, we know, becomes a heroin addict after this meeting. * The paint can when Desmond wakes up has "Futur...." written on it, with the rest covered in red paint hinting that this is a time travel sequence. Storyline analysis *Desmond plans to propose to Penny, but changes his mind. Episode connections Episode references * Charles Widmore mentions the solo race around the world that Desmond later takes part in, and which brings him to the island. Ms. Hawking also mentions the race. * The events of the hatch detonation are replayed. * Charlie asks Desmond how he knew the lightning would strike. * Locke tells Charlie and Hurley that Eko is dead. Episode allusions * In Charles Widmore's office, on the wall behind and to Desmond's right, a painting can be seen that is identical to the one that Claire's ex-boyfriend painted. * The microwave in Desmond's flat makes the same noise as the alarm in the Swan station. Also, in Ms. Hawking's shop, the clocks ticking sound notably similar to the machinery in the Swan computer room. * The close-up of Desmond's eye when he enters his altered timeline is the same shot of his eye (with less saturated colors) that was shown when we were introduced to him. * Another of the paintings clearly has the word Namaste, the greeting used by DHARMA, worked into the artwork. * The origin of Desmond's photograph is revealed. * Desmond discovers the remains of the hatch. Unanswered questions * How does Ms. Hawking know the future? * Why does she describe pushing the button as the "only great thing" Desmond will ever do? External links *Episode Press Release da:Flashes Before Your Eyes de:3.08 Erinnerungsfetzen es:Flashes Before Your Eyes fr:3x08 it:Déjà vu nl:Flashes Before Your Eyes pl:Flashes Before Your Eyes pt:Flashes Before Your Eyes ru:Вспышки перед глазами Category:Episodes Category:Season 3 Category:Desmond-centric Category:Featured on Lost: on Location Category:Episodes that are Rated TV-14